The Mantle of Iluvatar
by Keyblade Master Timaeus
Summary: Eru Iluvatar created many things before the Ainur and Arda. Unknown to the Ainur He created multiverses and beings to shape them. This is His recollection of His first creations, their fate and some of His thoughts on their current state, their future and that of their own creations.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Halo, the Silmarillion, Star Wars or any franchise, characters or elements referenced in this story. They are the property of their respective authors or creators.**

**Author's Note: This is just a one-shot story based on an idea I had in mind for the last while. Review and tell me what you think. It's my first story on this site so any constructive criticism is welcome.**

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><p><strong>The Mantle of Iluvatar<strong>

_**Eru**_ **Iluvatar** - _**The One, The Almighty, The One Above All, The All-Father, The**_ _**Creator, **_and _**The**_ _**Ohr Ein Soph **_gazed out from the Timeless Halls that was His abode, into the endless multiverse beyond that was known as _**Ea**_-Reality-All That Is.

He gazed upon one immense cluster of His creation-tiny to Him but to all others vast and saw the great darkness spread over it like a plague consuming every world, star and galaxy. It had been this way for ten million years ever since His first creations became corrupted and twisted by bitterness, despair and rage over what one of their creations had done to them and what they themselves had become-a deformed, twisted parasitic perversion of themselves which was now known as the Flood. Now not all His children had become like the Flood but went dormant or left to continue their work elsewhere in that universe and the multiverse while the rest of their brethren who had kept immaterial, intangible forms silently observed the Flood and the galaxy from which their brothers and sisters had been cast out by those now known as the Forerunners. They remained watching over life as they always have and influencing events so that the future of that galaxy known as the Milky Way would unfold as they originally planned in spite of the Floods and the Primordial's efforts.

Eru felt great sadness as remembered His children before they became the abomination that they were now, remembering back countless eons before He had created the Ainur(indeed He never told the Ainur of their existence) and the universe that contained Arda. Back then He had created His first beings who would in eons come to be known to their own creations by many names-the Gods, Precursors, Holy Ones, Angels, Originals, Primordials, Titans, Celestials, Abstracts, Old Ones.

Like the Ainur after them He created them from His own thoughts before anything else and bid them to sing to Him a Great Music that He had thought to them from which the first things sprang from. This Music brought into existence where not even Nothingness existed, then Darkness, then Light, then heat and gravity and all other things which would eventually culminate in the earliest realities, multiverses, universes, galaxies, stars and worlds. Unlike the Ainur He gave His first children the ability to create entirely new things of their own thoughts that did not come from Him. These things would have life and Free Will of their own design independent from Him.

For Eru had kindled His creations with the Flame Imperishable, the Secret Fire-the force which gave independent reality, life and Will to all His creations. It would allow His children and their creations to tap into this living aspect of reality and manipulate and bend it to their will allowing for what would be commonly called magic or miracles in most realities. In some galaxies within some realities it was known as the Force. In another reality it was known as Neural Physics. Indeed it could allow one who knew how to harness and use it to create something from nothing, create near-eternal, impervious things, create life, change the nature of a substance or reality and even do anything with but a thought. After He ceased His children's Music, He gave it Being and gave unto His children a Mantle-a Mantle to create, nurture and preserve all forms of life-for all things had life and a soul from the molecule, inanimate objects, plants, animals, fully sapient beings, universe to the vastness of the multiverse. All were living and had a soul to be nurtured and protected. His children who chose to do so would carry this Mantle and go down into creation and shape and bring reality to what their Music had brought forth. There was condition though, those who went down to fulfil what they had seen would have supreme rule over it, take on any form or powers at will or even mortal form and limit their powers if wished. However those who took physical form permanently would have a limit to their powers until freed from their mortal vessel and none who entered this multiverse would be able to rejoin Him and their brethren with Him until they had fulfilled their Mantle. In eons they would find one of their creations to inherit the Mantle and transcend to the same state of being and existence as themselves so they could rule, nurture and protect in their place and His children would then be allowed to return to Him.

However those who became the Flood had twisted the Mantle from its original purpose. The Primordial embittered and enraged at the Forerunners and not willing to risk rebellion again vowed eternal vengeance against the Precursors' creations especially the Forerunners and had done so shattering their morals, ideals, civilization and sent the last remnant into exile to live with their guilt and shame for failures as custodians, their crimes against the Precursors and their usurping of the Mantle. While in a sense there was peace and immortality within the Flood Hivemind, there was unending suffering, pain and no free will, something He did not wish these things upon any of His creations. For within the Flood collective they could not die and have everlasting peace and joy in His Domain. He listened and heard the cry of every being, man, woman, child, infant, animal and unborn beings within it. Galaxies cried out, that universe cried out in anguish for the salvation of all within it. It had its own will for it too was one of His children and had taken that form like many of its brethren had. Some took the forms of multiverses, universes, galaxies, stars, planets, animals, plants, spirits, dragons, supernatural entities, indeed anything and everything they became.

He would not interfere as He wished to for it would defeat the purpose of His gift of Free Will if He were to not allow things to take their course and He knew the ending anyway. It was nearly time for His children-the Precursors-those who opposed the Flood to reveal themselves again to their creations and their brethren. For it was their will that the race of Men in this universe or Humanity as they called themselves to inherit the Mantle. The Forerunners also passed the Mantle to them upon realization of their crimes and failures vowing never again to interfere in the affairs of others, however the Precursors had their own plans and given the Forerunners a second chance to do things right. They have been considering influencing events to bring the Forerunners back to the Milky Way to aid Humanity's ascendance to the Mantle and fight against the coming Flood and the wrath of the Primordial in order to fulfil the Mantle and complete their purpose.

Relaxing in His throne, Eru smiled for He knew the time for His children's return and their children's salvation would soon be at hand.

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><p><strong>Author's Note: Thanks for taking the time to read. Hope you liked it and don't forget to review. All constructive criticism is welcome.<strong>


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